1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise apparatus for strengthening and conditioning muscles, and in particular, to equipment offering a workout by allowing a user to rotate a mechanical element against resistance provided by the equipment.
2. Description of Related Art
Self-contained or compact exercise machines are highly desirable, especially if they offer interesting exercises or offer a wide variety of exercises.
Such machines ought to allow a robust workout of various muscle groups, as well as prevent boredom by giving the user an interesting workout routine.
Known exercise machines include recumbent stationary bicycles, often having electronically controlled resistance that varies according to preset workout profiles. The resistance offered by these machines may be controlled by an adjustable eddy current brake. Other known exercise machines employ a pair of hand cranks that are arranged like bicycle pedals but in an elevated position so that the user may grasp and rotate the crank against an adjustable mechanical resistance.
Sailors are often called upon to operate a manual crank to sheet in a sail or to draw in a line for some other reason. These cranking motions are often done rapidly and repeatedly, particularly when tacking upwind or racing. Unfortunately, many sailors do not sail during the winter months and may lose the muscle conditioning gained during the sailing season. Besides sailors, many individuals would benefit by an exercise routine that involved a manual cranking motion that exercises muscles in a way that is different from that offered by existing machines. Moreover, such a machine would be used more because it offers an interesting change from the conventional exercise machines.
In FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,281 a person on seat 22 can sit near a crank handle 54 with an elbow in cradle 118 to turn the crank and lift the weights 14 in order to exercise the rotator cuff. The coupler 63 on crank 52 can be attached either to horizontal shaft 76 or vertical shaft housing 68. This arrangement is safe for only fractional crank turns, since the crank would spin like a weapon if a user lost his/her grip on the crank after multiple turns. Also, resistance is offered only in one direction.
In FIG. 7 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,108 shaft 371 can be oriented vertically so that a user can grasp handles 354 and reciprocate them in a horizontal plane.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,033 a pair of horizontal arms 21 and 22 can be fitted with a pad 24 that supports an assembly 1 having a cuff 4 that is placed at the user's arm near the elbow.
In the arm exerciser of FIG. 9 of U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0092539 a person kneels and rotates members 10 through a horizontal plane.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,296,924 an exerciser places his/her arms in the illustrated cradles and then rotates the torso as the cradles rotate about a vertical axis.
In the arm exerciser of FIG. 6 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,475 a person kneels on a platform, places the hands in the rests 96 and 98, and rotates them in a horizontal plane.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,551,214 a person exercises the neck by placing the head inside helmet 3 and rotating the helmet about a vertical axis.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,389,057 a horizontal bar 48/54 has a weight 50 on one end and on the other end a practice target 72 that can be hit by a martial artist.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,589 a crank mechanism with a horizontal axis of rotation can be placed in an upper position for arm exercises or in a lower position for leg exercises.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,580,338 a portable exercise machine has a hand crank for arm exercises. The machine is designed to be placed on the lap with the crank axis horizontal.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,272 a person on seat 18 can do arm exercises with crank 20 and leg exercises with crank 42. These cranks have a horizontal axis. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,269.
See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,521,012; 5,709,633; 5,989,162; 6,126,580; and 6,533,708
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved exercise apparatus that offers exercises that will condition various muscle groups and will also increase the interest in exercise and avoid boredom.